283:, there was debate between the Belgians and British over the boundaries of Rwanda. The Belgian colonial authorities asked Hirth for a study of the effect of ceding part of the east of the country to the British, and Hirth delegated the task to Classe. Classe gave his work to the colonial authorities before leaving Rwanda for Algeria on 20 August 1920. His work, full of praise for the unique African country with its Tutsi aristocracy, was submitted as a memorandum to the British in March 1922. It was influential in preventing the partition of the country.
271:
elite, whom he considered natural rulers of the country. In Classe's view, the political structure of Rwanda was much like the feudal structure of the Middle Ages in Europe. As a presumed expert on the country, his 1916 paper on the political organization had great influence on the thinking of the
291:
Classe was recalled in 1920 due to disagreements among the missionaries over how much they should be involved in politics. In Europe his superiors became fully confident in his capability, and his assistance in the question of the eastern boundaries gained him the support of the
Belgian colonial
303:
Classe remained a committed supporter of the Tutsi ruling class. In a letter to the resident
Belgian commissioner on 21 September 1927 he said that the young Tutsis would be a great help in helping the colony advance. The Hutus would much rather receive orders from the Tutsi nobles than from
319:
at the time. By 1943 all but two of the fifty-two chiefs of Rwanda were
Christian. That year Classe baptized King Mutara III Rudahigwa in a ceremony attended by the chiefs. Classe designed many of the church buildings in Rwanda. He died in
200:, from 1922 until his death in 1945. During his time as a missionary priest and then bishop a great many Rwandans were converted to Christianity. Classe was influential in persuading the Belgian colonial administration to favor the
304:
commoners. In 1930 he again said that suppressing the Tutsi caste would cause great damage, leading to anarchy and viciously anti-European communism. The Tutsis were intelligent, active, and able to understand progressive ideas.
688:
Comment comprendre la "crise" de l'Etat postcolonial en
Afrique?: un essai d'explication structurelle à partir des cas de l'Angola, du Congo-Brazzaville, du Congo-Kinshasa, du Liberia et du Rwanda
832:
842:
237:
847:
260:(north). In 1907 Hirth named him delegate vicar general in Rwanda., On 12 December 1912, Jean-Joseph Hirth was appointed the first Vicar Apostolic of
224:
and then the junior seminary of
Versailles. He went to the major seminary of Issy-les-Moulineux to study philosophy. In 1896 he was accepted into the
741:
696:
651:
605:
578:
551:
827:
300:. Classe was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Ruanda on 10 April 1922, and on 26 April 1922 was appointed Titular Bishop of Maxula Prates.
43:
252:, was at first hostile to his mission. Later, Classe was allowed to make many converts. In Rwanda he helped found the missions of
325:
79:
837:
193:
34:
293:
261:
221:
118:
822:
292:
ministry. The
Apostolic Vicariate of Ruanda was created on 25 April 1922 from the northern part of the former
817:
812:
312:
220:, France. When he was aged six his family moved to Paris. For his secondary education he attended
276:
192:, M.Afr. (28 June 1874 – 31 January 1945) was a Catholic priest who was Vicar Apostolic of the
737:
692:
686:
647:
641:
601:
595:
574:
568:
547:
539:
233:
69:
731:
308:
264:, which covered modern Rwanda and Burundi. Hirth named Classe his vicar general in Rwanda.
229:
105:
257:
597:
Manuel d'histoire du Rwanda à l'époque coloniale: Suivant le Modèle de Mgr Alexis Kagame
253:
228:(Society of the Missionaries of Africa). On 31 March 1900 he was ordained a priest by
733:
Rwanda : à la recherche de la vérité historique pour une réconciliation nationale
712:
667:
622:
806:
272:
Belgian administration, which came to support the leadership position of the Tutsis.
225:
165:
248:
Classe was one of the first two missionaries to be sent to Rwanda. The ruler, King
42:
785:
767:
280:
787:
Monseigneur Léon-Paul Classe: apôtre du Ruanda : un audacieux pacifique
321:
316:
232:, the Superior General of the Society. Several months later he was sent to
161:
249:
297:
197:
769:
Monseigneur Léon Paul Classe: premier
Vicaire Apostolique du Ruanda
268:
201:
217:
205:
143:
89:
Titular Bishop of Maxula Prates (26 April 1922–31 January 1945)
398:
643:
Defeat Is the Only Bad News: Rwanda under
Musinga, 1896–1931
409:
407:
382:
380:
378:
365:
363:
361:
359:
357:
509:
473:
307:
Classe played an important role in the deposition of
324:, Burundi, on 31 January 1945 and was succeeded by
179:
171:
151:
129:
124:
111:
98:
93:
85:
75:
65:
57:
49:
21:
567:Bakunda I'Cyicaro, Pierre-Célestin (July 2006).
328:. He was interred in the cathedral of Kabgayi.
497:
833:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Rwanda
544:Biographical dictionary of Christian missions
311:in 1931 and in the choice of his successor,
216:Léon-Paul Classe was born on 28 June 1874 in
8:
685:Jamfa Chiadjeu, Moïse Léonard (2005-01-01).
521:
449:
437:
425:
413:
461:
204:as a ruling caste in the country over the
41:
18:
369:
348:
594:Bonaventure, Mureme K. (November 2010).
386:
296:, serving the territory of what is now
843:French Roman Catholic bishops in Africa
341:
621:Cheney, David M. (16 September 2012).
485:
279:were being divided by the victors of
7:
730:Rudakemwa, Fortunatus (April 2007).
713:"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bukavu"
570:Rwanda l'enfer des règles implicites
399:Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bukavu
14:
848:Roman Catholic bishops of Kabgayi
766:Overschelde, Antoine van (1945).
640:Des Forges, Alison (2011-05-17).
623:"Bishop Léon-Paul Classe, M. Afr"
275:In 1920, when the territories of
772:. Vicariat Apostolique du Ruanda
56:
48:
546:. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
1:
267:Classe was an admirer of the
194:Apostolic Vicariate of Ruanda
35:Apostolic Vicariate of Ruanda
784:Overschelde, A. van (1948).
538:Anderson, Gerald H. (1999).
828:People from Alsace-Lorraine
691:. Peter Lang. p. 151.
668:"Diocese of Kabgayi Rwanda"
646:. Univ of Wisconsin Press.
294:Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu
222:Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet
864:
573:. Harmattan. p. 210.
540:"Classe, Léon (1874–1945)"
474:Diocese of Kabgayi Rwanda
326:Laurent-François Déprimoz
80:Laurent-François Déprimoz
40:
32:
33:Vicar Apostolic of the
510:Bakunda I'Cyicaro 2006
838:White Fathers priests
315:, who was a Catholic
236:, Vicar Apostolic of
119:Désiré-Joseph Mercier
313:Mutara III Rudahigwa
498:Jamfa Chiadjeu 2005
240:, as an assistant.
627:Catholic Hierarchy
277:German East Africa
743:978-2-296-16437-6
698:978-3-03910-689-9
653:978-0-299-28143-4
607:978-2-296-44524-6
580:978-2-296-15347-9
553:978-0-8028-4680-8
234:John Joseph Hirth
196:, in what is now
187:
186:
70:John Joseph Hirth
855:
823:Clergy from Metz
798:
796:
795:
780:
778:
777:
753:
751:
750:
726:
724:
723:
708:
706:
705:
681:
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663:
661:
660:
636:
634:
633:
617:
615:
614:
590:
588:
587:
563:
561:
560:
525:
522:Bonaventure 2010
519:
513:
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501:
495:
489:
483:
477:
471:
465:
459:
453:
450:Bonaventure 2010
447:
441:
438:Bonaventure 2010
435:
429:
426:Bonaventure 2010
423:
417:
414:Bonaventure 2010
411:
402:
396:
390:
384:
373:
367:
352:
346:
190:Léon-Paul Classe
158:
139:
137:
125:Personal details
45:
23:Léon-Paul Classe
19:
863:
862:
858:
857:
856:
854:
853:
852:
803:
802:
801:
793:
791:
783:
775:
773:
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759:Further reading
756:
748:
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729:
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684:
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581:
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558:
556:
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528:
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516:
508:
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496:
492:
484:
480:
472:
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462:Des Forges 2011
460:
456:
448:
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420:
412:
405:
397:
393:
385:
376:
368:
355:
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343:
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289:
246:
238:Southern Nyanza
214:
160:
156:
155:31 January 1945
147:
141:
135:
133:
116:
103:
61:31 January 1945
28:
25:
24:
17:
16:Catholic bishop
12:
11:
5:
861:
859:
851:
850:
845:
840:
835:
830:
825:
820:
815:
805:
804:
800:
799:
781:
762:
755:
754:
742:
727:
709:
697:
682:
664:
652:
637:
618:
606:
591:
579:
564:
552:
534:
527:
526:
524:, p. 231.
514:
512:, p. 210.
502:
500:, p. 151.
490:
478:
466:
464:, p. 187.
454:
452:, p. 147.
442:
440:, p. 141.
430:
428:, p. 153.
418:
416:, p. 140.
403:
391:
389:, p. 137.
374:
370:Rudakemwa 2007
353:
349:Rudakemwa 2007
340:
333:
330:
309:Yuhi V Musinga
288:
285:
245:
242:
213:
210:
185:
184:
181:
177:
176:
173:
169:
168:
159:(aged 70)
153:
149:
148:
142:
131:
127:
126:
122:
121:
113:
109:
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96:
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38:
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30:
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26:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
860:
849:
846:
844:
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839:
836:
834:
831:
829:
826:
824:
821:
819:
816:
814:
811:
810:
808:
790:. Grands Lacs
789:
788:
782:
771:
770:
764:
763:
761:
760:
745:
739:
736:. Harmattan.
735:
734:
728:
718:
717:GCatholic.org
714:
710:
700:
694:
690:
689:
683:
673:
672:GCatholic.org
669:
665:
655:
649:
645:
644:
638:
628:
624:
619:
609:
603:
600:. Harmattan.
599:
598:
592:
582:
576:
572:
571:
565:
555:
549:
545:
541:
536:
535:
533:
532:
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518:
515:
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487:
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439:
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419:
415:
410:
408:
404:
400:
395:
392:
388:
387:Anderson 1999
383:
381:
379:
375:
372:, p. 61.
371:
366:
364:
362:
360:
358:
354:
351:, p. 60.
350:
345:
342:
339:
338:
331:
329:
327:
323:
318:
314:
310:
305:
301:
299:
295:
286:
284:
282:
278:
273:
270:
265:
263:
259:
255:
251:
243:
241:
239:
235:
231:
230:Léon Livinhac
227:
226:White Fathers
223:
219:
211:
209:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
182:
178:
174:
170:
167:
166:Ruanda-Urundi
163:
154:
150:
145:
132:
128:
123:
120:
114:
110:
107:
106:Léon Livinhac
102:31 March 1900
101:
97:
92:
88:
86:Other post(s)
84:
81:
78:
74:
71:
68:
64:
60:
53:10 April 1922
52:
44:
39:
36:
31:
20:
792:. Retrieved
786:
774:. Retrieved
768:
758:
757:
747:. Retrieved
732:
720:. Retrieved
716:
702:. Retrieved
687:
675:. Retrieved
671:
657:. Retrieved
642:
630:. Retrieved
626:
611:. Retrieved
596:
584:. Retrieved
569:
557:. Retrieved
543:
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493:
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469:
457:
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433:
421:
394:
344:
336:
335:
306:
302:
290:
274:
266:
247:
215:
189:
188:
180:Denomination
157:(1945-01-31)
140:28 June 1874
112:Consecration
818:1945 deaths
813:1874 births
486:Cheney 2012
281:World War I
212:Early years
172:Nationality
115:28 May 1922
66:Predecessor
807:Categories
794:2013-04-05
776:2013-04-05
749:2013-04-05
722:2013-03-26
704:2013-04-05
677:2013-04-05
659:2013-04-05
632:2013-04-05
613:2013-04-05
586:2013-04-05
559:2013-04-05
332:References
244:Missionary
208:majority.
136:1874-06-28
99:Ordination
58:Term ended
337:Citations
322:Bujumbura
317:catechist
76:Successor
50:Installed
183:Catholic
162:Usumbura
146:, France
117:by
104:by
531:Sources
250:Musinga
740:
695:
650:
604:
577:
550:
298:Rwanda
287:Bishop
254:Nyundo
202:Tutsis
198:Rwanda
175:French
94:Orders
269:Tutsi
258:Rwaza
738:ISBN
693:ISBN
648:ISBN
602:ISBN
575:ISBN
548:ISBN
262:Kivu
256:and
218:Metz
206:Hutu
152:Died
144:Metz
130:Born
27:MAfr
809::
715:.
670:.
625:.
542:.
406:^
377:^
356:^
164:,
797:.
779:.
752:.
725:.
707:.
680:.
662:.
635:.
616:.
589:.
562:.
488:.
476:.
401:.
138:)
134:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
